Stoke City Hoping To Extend Ryan Shawcross Contract

Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes is hopeful of being able to tie down captain Ryan Shawcross to a new long-term contract as the defender approaches the final year of his current deal.

The 29-year-old centre-back agreed a six-year term in November 2012 and talks have been on-going about extending that stay.

“When you’ve got important players, you want to do something sooner rather than later,” Scholes told The Sentinel.

“But that is a very simple statement about what can be a very complicated and long process.

“There’s always talks. People talk about ‘have talks started?’ We’ve been in contact.

“He’s been a great player for the club, he’s been here a number of years now, been a huge part of what the club has achieved over the years and we hope that will remain the case for many years to come.”